Mop



Jan- 22, 1935.

H. M. MERCHANT MOP 2 Sheets-sheet 1 Filed July 10, 1955 ra/ggg M2M?" Jan. 22, 1935. H. M. MERCHANT MOP 2' sheets-sheet 2 Filed July l0, 1955 Patented Jan. 22, 1,935 I ifg i 1,988,457

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Y Mor llanvey M. .Merchants Minneapolis, V nlipn'ma'tnm July. 1o, 1933, ,seriarNa 679,731

rfolaims. cifra-+147) Y instance, is adapted :to be passed freelythroug'h v UNlirEo* lsfr-Afr1;si OFFICE f l My present'inventionrelatesfto mops. ofthe type which :comprise J flexible swaby holders.' and flexible .swabs .or mop .heads .Jappli'edthereto Vand,

generally.-.stated, the invention vconsistsofthe noveliconstruction,` combinations and arrangement of.` parts l hereinafter describedr andv defined in the claims.

' The 'term'."mop" is. herein usedin .a broad sense :to includ'edry lmopsr'or clusters, as :welljas Wetlmops: v.

v 'The `objects of the invention, generally stated, are-.production of' a mop. at comparativelylow costwhichwill be lightin weight, will have the desired resilience bothinthe'planev of thefholder and.perpendicular4 to said plane, and certain 'otherfadvantagea as will hereinafter appear in connection with` the .description ofv Vpreferred construction andlarrangement thereof.

In the drawings, ,which illustrateiffthe invention, wherein like characters indicate like -parts throughout the Vseveral views--A Fig; 1 is a perspective` showingA the improved mop Iincluding the swab holderand-a handle for .the latter; y l

Fig. 2 isa perspective showing the mop, with the swab removedfrom the swab holder;

. Fig. 43,.is.a. view in elevation showing the swab removed from the holder and' laid; out flatwise, the main intermediate portion thereof `being broken away or removed;`

` Fig, 4 isa detail in section taken inthe plane ofthe line marked 4 4 onFig. 2; l Y

Fig. 5 is a detail insection-takenrin thelplane indicated by thelie\5`-5'marked onr Fig. 2;l

Fig. 6 is a View corresponding to Fig. 4, but illustrating a s slight -modi'cation Fig. 7 is a perspective illustrating somewhat modified form of mop wherein theswab, instead of being annular in form, is in the form of a mit-` like complete casing fitting around the holder;

Fig. 8 is a View corresponding toFig. 2, but

illustrating a modified form of swab holder usedr plane of the loop. This arrangement, it has for the mit-like swaby shown in Fig. '1;

Fig. 9 is a transverse section taken on the line Fig. 10 is a plan view showing, on a small scale, the zig-zag spring bent atwise in a common plane into the form of a rectangular loop.

Figs. '7, 8 and 9 illustrate a third and Fig. 10 a fourth form of the improved model.

Referring to the structure illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the numeral 10 indicates a handle in the form of a pole shown as provided at one end with a rigidly secured projecting screwthreaded stud 11. The stud 11 in this particular the rear Wall land screwed' tinto arr-internally threaded boss :12.- of 'a clamping head inthe form of a flattened metal .tube 13'. The swab holder,

asillustrated, is inathe form. of ka flat springv 12 that is primarily bent zig-zag inta common plane,

byfmea'ns of alternatelyv bent U-shaped foldsfTo give thel same 'kind of resilience and elasticity` to the said spring, fromy end .to end, the U-shaped folds thereof should be made constant orfalike fromend to end ofthe spring. V'I'he spring 14 is'then bent into the form ofr a loop and its opposite ends.' are inserted intothe opposite ends ofthe flat .clamping headsl' and there secured by suitable means.

As a simple meanssfor securing the'inserted ends of the springwithin said clamping head, the I stud'or trunnion 11', see particularly Fig. 4,v is passed .through one` ofthelloops of one inserted end of said spring;A and .theheadflS at the lother end is bent inward at 15..to.permanentlyhold that end. of the springwithinl 'the head. In.- the particular arrangement described, one end of the .springfmay be; released from the head1 whenever theheadr is Aunscrewedfrom the handle 1.0.

For. application to thespring bent into the form shown, there is provided a swab o1'-:mop:head '16, the tufts.: of which vare shownas-secured toa tape` or flexblehem in, the :form-.of a flattened tube 17 through which the f spring is'adaptedto befreadily inserted when one endl thereof is re'- leased from theclamping head 13. The ends of 'the hem 1'? are telescopedf onto the ends of theclamping head 13.1 4

Asr a; swab holder, the `fla`.t..zig'zag spring described has many highly desirable features. To give the desired flexibility to the spring, the length of the U-shaped folds transversely of the springvshould be considerably greater than the width of said folds measured in a direction longitudinally of the spring. Such a spring, when bent into a loop, has its greatest flexibility in the been found, is highly desirable in mops generally. For example, when themop illustrated completely in Fig. 1, is thrust against a flat wall or surface, it will readily flatten out and the swab will be brought against the entire flat surface within its range, but will, of course, instantly spring back to normal substantially round form when relieved from pressure.

Moreover, this spring, arranged as described, has its greatest resistance to deformation perpendicular to the plane of the loop, so that a mop will be forced with sufficient pressure against the will be transmitted through the body of thel.

spring, and the spring will not be bent short at any one point. bending the same beyond its limit of'elasticity'is avoided.

(b) The spring holder as thus arranged and applied, is capable of beingturned witlrfhf;@mop` thereof.

or otherwise completely over against the handle 10. Thisturning vof the spring has theyeifectof turning the samefinside outin `asenseso that the spring, when turned beyond ,a certain point close to the handle, will tend to' spring against the handleand will remain-,pressed .against the handle this will shorten vupthe mop, and thisis desirable for the purposeoffstorage and shipment. The. action just abovedescribed will-be .produced if, for example, the handle l be held inone hand and the mop swab and spring be bentupward .or downward `until the swab bears against the handpiece; and it will be found .that when the `swab has been pressed againstA the hand-piece as stated, the spring willhavebe'en lturned to such a position that it will then exert its pressure to hold the swab against thehand-piece.

In Fig. 6, the constructionis the same 'as that hitherto illustrated, except that in lieuof the stud or trunnion 1l,a.wood screw l1e is passed through the clamping head 13c and screwed intothe end of the holder or pole C. u t Figs. '7, 8 and 9 show a modification of the mop holder. and swab in.'Y which@ two flat zig-zag springs 14a and 14h, are employedv in eccentric arrangement. Theends of the'springs 14a and 14b are brought together. and together inserted into the clamping headv 13a substantially. the same as when the single spring14 is employed.` `For application around the springslifil and 14k? there will be employed a mop swab or head-in the form of a mit'or complete casing` 19. -Thisirnop casing need have a comparatively small opening .extending say from points ato point b onv Fig. 7, for the springs 14ab and 14.b are capable of being pressed laterally so that they will go througha comparatively narrow opening.A s

Thus breaking of the spring or In Fig. 10, the spring and swab holder are bent zig-zag in a common plane, and are in the form of a rectangular loop, as indicated by the character 14d, and its ends are indicated as suitably secured to a handle 10d by means of ahead 15d.

What I claim is:

l. A mop comprising a handle, a swab holder in the form of a fiat zig-'zag spring bent throughout its length to form alternate substantially U- shapedfolds, saidfspringbeing bent into the form of. aloop and having lits ends secured to said handle, and a swab applied to said holder and partaking of the resilience thereof.

. 2. A mop comprising a handle, a swab holder the form of a fiat zig-zag spring bent to form .'.a loop 'and having its ends secured to said handle, the iiatdimemion of said spring being in the direction ofthe axis of the loop, and a swab appliedtosaid holder and partaking of the resilience 3..The structureudened in clainrl which the length of the U-shaped folds transverselyfof thetsaid spring is considerably greater than the width of said folds measured ina direction longitudinally of the spring, said spring having its greatest flexibility and least resistancejto deformation in the plane of the loop.

4.,'Ihe .structure defined' in claim 2 in which said iiatzig-.zag spring has approximately U- shaped folds that are of greater length transversely of the spring than width longitudinally of 2said spring, lsaid spring having its greatest flexibility and. leastr resistance to deformation vin theplane of the-loop thereof.

5. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said swab holdercompri'ses also a vsecond spring of the character .firstdeflned having its endssecured to said handle. and its body portion` in eccentric arr'angement in respect to the first noted spring.A a

6. The structure defined in claim 2 in which said swab holder comprises also a second spring of-thecharacter first defined'having its ends secured to said handle and its body portion in eccentric arrangement in respect to the first noted spring. v

'7. The structuredened in claim 2 in which saidhandlehas a clamping head gripping'the ends of said spring and holding said ends diverging `therefrom in approximately opposite directions whereby ldeflection of said spring transverselyfrompthe normal planeA of its vloop will deforrn Athe folds of said spring.

' HARVEY M. MERCHANT.- 

